TheSamba.com :: View topic - Car started eating itself on the way to work this morning.

Thu May 17, 2012 8:47 am

I am stuck at work now with my car on the trailor and this face :cry: . I was going 65mph when all of a sudden it sounded as if i started driving off the road on the caution divets. Very fast metal on metal hard clanks. I shut it off quickly so I am not sure if I lost a ton of power or not. While waiting on my wife and sick to my stomach i said screw it, I need to fittle. I cranked it over, loud pinging, push clutch in, still pinging. Went around and pulled each spark plug wire from the distributor, noise (clank) never went away. Only turned it over one last time to pull it on trailor with low revs no noticable loss of power.
Any guesses?
I know I shouldn't have cranked it. I'm OCD. I know I need to tear it down. I'm at work. I would love guesses that I could look at without pulling the engine. I just put it back in last night from replacing the alternator. Broke push rod? I don't think rockers would be loud like that. Bummed.

Thu May 17, 2012 9:00 am

Think of everything you touched while doing the alternator. Big nut for the fan maybe? Pull the fan belt and see if it is quiet. Pull the valve covers and turn the engine over with the coil wire off. Check the simple things before driving yourself nuts.

Thu May 17, 2012 9:20 am

Thank you for the help. It is not the fan or the belt. I did check that. Noise is coming from the engine case somewhere. This never happen to anyone?

Thu May 17, 2012 9:22 am

I had a flywheel come loose one time (on a non-VW car). It sounded like it threw a couple rods. Torqued the flywheel back down and all was well

Thu May 17, 2012 10:12 am

Thanks! I would have never thought a loose flywheel would cause a sound like that. Figured it would be more of a scraping sound. I will be sure to check it. Wish I wouldn't have called in to tell my boss what happened. I need a sick day for my car. I don't even let it leak oil, throwing a rod possibility is killing me. Engine is only 10,000 miles old.
1904cc
Mahle P/C 90.5mm
Counter wieght 74mm crank
Engle 110
CB lightweight lifters
stock pushrods
CB Los Panchitos heads
stock 1.1:1 rockers
progressive carb
ACN SVDA
#3 intake pushrod and lifter ate eachother in the original build. Found it at about 4,000 miles, but seemed to stop after I replaced the pushrod. I checked it about 1,000 mile ago during last oil change.

Thu May 17, 2012 10:53 am

If it is a loose flywheel I don't think it will be as easy a fix on a VW as it was on my 2.5 GM. The VW has dowel pins to get damaged. Might wallow out the holes in the flywheel too.

Thu May 17, 2012 11:09 am

I'd guess loose flywheel too but I hope it's not another one of them busted CB 74mm cranks. :shock: Is there a lot of free play in the pulley, like in and out motion?

Thu May 17, 2012 11:21 am

when you pull the motor befor tearing it down ,spin the input shaft to be sure it isant the trans, mine did somethen like that and after scattering the motor with onlyabout 35000 miles(witch I want to do any way for a biger cam) everything looked like new,so some scratching of the head(my head) then a dim lit light went on and I turned the input shaft, crunch, crunch.smiled and got a roller cam for that motor & put the spair motor togeather(using cam,lifters&main bearings from the other one.)andchanged the trans.

Thu May 17, 2012 12:45 pm

Loose flywheel
Busted cranker

Like Darth said, give a tug on the pulley to see if it has excessive end play.
If it does, it has to come all the way apart to fix either issue.
Either way it's a bummer to say the least, sorry about your luck there.

Thu May 17, 2012 12:50 pm

Darth,
I will check the play on my next break. Thank you.
Mark,
If it were my transmission, wouldn't the noise stop with my clutch engaged standing still (idle)?

Can't thank the Samba family enough for the input. I know I will find the culprit in dissembly, but it helps to have a game plan, and know all the options to pay close attenion to.

Thu May 17, 2012 12:54 pm

Thanks SRP1.
The devil on my right shoulder is running down my back to pull my wallet, and the angel on my left is writing a speach as to how I am going to break it to the wife that I need to build another engine for my "gas saver" :shock:

Thu May 17, 2012 5:30 pm

jtwaller wrote: If it were my transmission, wouldn't the noise stop with my clutch engaged standing still (idle)?

If the trans is in gear then it won't turn or make any noises whatsoever with the motor running and clutch depressed (and the vehicle sitting still of course). That may not be a valid test in your case however, since if its a loose flywheel it also might get quieter or stop clattering altogether if you depress the clutch. So you still won't know what the issue is. It might help rule out a broken crank though. Either way, I don't think you can avoid dropping the motor, so all this is just a theoretical discussion. Get the thing on the ground already! :P

Thu May 17, 2012 8:45 pm

In an anger-drunken-haze I dropped the car off at a local shop. Part of me may have just wanted a break. I had to coach my daughter's softball game tonight anyway. I plan on leaving extra early in the morning to stop by and check end play on the pulley. I am hoping for the best and expecting the worse. This car is a part of me in every way. I didn't hardly eat today. Worse case I'll build bigger! Not too big, still want a daily driver. I saw a comment about "another CB broke 74.4mm crank". Is this a problem? Is everyone using Bugpack or what? I don't want to create another problem. My car never sees a track and rarely leaves any line in a hurry. I just want to drive it!!!! Also, has anyone used the "thick wall" 92mm? Last, is the only 76mm crank chinese product? Should I stay away? Thanks in advance.

Thu May 17, 2012 8:58 pm

jtwaller wrote: I saw a comment about "another CB broke 74.4mm crank". Is this a problem?. That would be me. There was a thread a few days ago about an engine with a CB 74mm crank that had broken in half. It's pretty rare for a crank to break like that though.

jtwaller wrote: Also, has anyone used the "thick wall" 92mm? Last, is the only 76mm crank chinese product? Should I stay away? Thanks in advance. Glenn Ring has an Art Thraen built 2180 with TW 92's, no problems at all. Another excellent source of 74 and 76mm cranks is DPR. Jose makes a great product based off an original VW forged crank.
http://dprmachine.com/

You thinking of building a 2021cc motor?

Fri May 18, 2012 6:26 am

Great information Darth. I will do some research. Not sure what I am going to build until I know what's broke. Just not going to wait until I find out to answer all my quetions. On a good note i checked end play this morning with no movement! :D Shop thinks it's piston "slap" rod problem something in that nature. :cry: As soon as my narrowed hauler comes in from ACN Layla will be coming home.

](*,) "She's got me on my knees, Layla......."

Fri May 18, 2012 7:40 am

or the pully come loose and is scrubing on the tin and a little bump or nick or even the timing notch will raise hell and the noise is extreamly hard to fine the sorce .good luck.did it got hot?ive seen that and the rings end up broken&in the chamber.

Fri May 18, 2012 7:43 am

Hey. I once had 3 of the bolts that hold the clutch presure plate on come out. made a helluva racket. I thought it was something in the crankcase. I started to pull the motor, and when I seperated it from the trans 3 bolts came out. the bolts where just getting throwin around. tightened them back in, but this time used threadlock and redid the rest of the bolts and everything is well. good luck.

Fri May 18, 2012 7:48 am

mark tucker wrote: or the pully come loose and is scrubing on the tin and a little bump or nick or even the timing notch will raise hell and the noise is extreamly hard to fine the sorce .good luck.did it got hot?ive seen that and the rings end up broken&in the chamber.

This is happening to me right now. but on mine its the tin right behind the pulley that needs to be trimmed. this drove me nuts. everytime i pushed the clutch in it went away and then as soon as i started driving there would be a loud scraping metal on metal sound. then I noticed metal shavings everywhere and noticed the tin was touching the pulley.

Fri May 18, 2012 8:19 am

Marking all comments and adding them to the list! I know it sounds wierd, but I'm kind of getting excited about it. Everyone always asks me why do I drive a car that I am constantly having to work on? Well for one, 80% of the work are add ons "personal improvements". And two, thats half the fun! If I tried to drop the block in my 2009 Jeep I'd need to buy a computer system to reinstall it! I mean my wife has just now given up yelling at me about the gojo stains in the bathroom sink. I can't give that kind of power up! 8)

Fri May 18, 2012 9:41 am

I rarely work on mine, just drive it like I stole it daily.I spend more time in 1 day working or checking out somebody elses car than I do in a year on mine.do it right do it 1 time and have fun.